Man charged with manslaughter in hockey stick beating death of Uber driver

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CHELSEA, Manhattan — A 39-year-old man was charged with manslaughter after he allegedly beat an Uber driver, who later crashed, with a hockey stick, police said.

Randolph Tolk, 68, and Kohji Kosugi argued near West Street and Horatio Street Saturday night, police said. Kosugi allegedly hit Tolk in the head with a hockey stick, knocking Tolk to the ground. Kosugi allegedly stepped on Tolk's chest before fleeing on foot.

Tolk, a father of two, got up and continued driving downtown before striking the center divider at West Street and Horatio Street. He was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.

“The attacker is a coward and should be in jail, beating and elderly man with a hockey stick is unforgivable. We don’t know the cause of death but we are sure it is related to the blow that knocked him to the ground. We always advise our drivers not to get out of their vehicles and avoid confrontations with anyone but we don’t know what lead to this tragedy," NY Federation of Taxi Drivers spokesperson Fernando Mateo said.